Evidence of ethical and inethical behavior among bacteria
See Michael Gilberson, co-blogger with Lynne Kiesling at Knowledge Problem, discussing recent research: “Cooperation and cheating among bacteria“.
I think we are beginning to see that ethical issues, that is, “problems” of cooperation between individuals, permeates life, and that evolution and experience provide differing capabilities for cooperative behavior across the spectrum of life.
Humans, being the most “advanced” and self-reflective of life forms, are privileged to include fights over “property rights” and “objective” universal moral codes, etc. among our daily battles over how to advance our personal interests.
[The post title is tongue-in-cheek, obviously, but the study of the why and wherefor of cooperation is a serious matter, indeed. Perhaps it is the underlying theme of this blog.]
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